Wildschut: From zero to heroes

Yanic Wildschut looks for an opening during his second-half cameo against Reading at the weekend

The new manager has the luxury of a fortnight to get to grips with his new playing squad, with Latics not in action until the trip to Barnsley on Saturday week.

And he’ll need every minute to get his ideas across after kicking off his reign in the worst possible fashion last weekend, and a 3-0 home drubbing at the hands of play-off chasing Reading.

Wildschut, having surprisingly started the game on the bench, did as much as anyone following his introduction at half-time to turn the game back in Wigan’s favour.

Sadly it wasn’t to be, but the flying Dutchman insists he and his colleagues have a point to prove to Joyce behind closed doors at Euxton.

“When a new manager comes in, everybody starts on zero and everybody is working hard to try to impress him,” Wildschut told Wigan Today.

“He is using some really good methods in training, and it will take a little adjusting to start with. But when it gets going I feel it will work for us very well.

“It’s not something that will be sorted over the space of a week or so. It’s something we will have to build towards, we want to make the style of play our own.”

Along with everyone else inside the DW Stadium, Wildschut could not believe his eyes as Reading opened up a two-goal advantage inside the opening five minutes before some Latics players had even touched the ball.

And not even a lively beginning to the second period could tip the balance back into Wigan’s favour.

“You’re coming on at 2-0 down against a good side like Reading, and you’re just trying do what you can,” he added.

“I think I started okay, with a few crosses, but I didn’t see as much of the ball as I would have liked.

“Hopefully it will be better in the games to come.

“We only had a couple of days training with him before the game, and it’s still very early to be changing things.

“We have 10 days before the next game so let’s see how much work we can get done on the training ground.

“The new manager has his own way of playing, and hopefully we’ll be able to implement that when we play Barnsley in the next game.”

Meanwhile, Max Power’s wonderful strike in Wigan’s 3-1 victory over Chesterfield last season has been shortlisted for MBNA Goal of the Year at next Monday’s North West Football Awards at Lancashire CCC.